Many smartphone users and avid gamers are well acquainted with augmented reality (AR). One of the more well known augmented reality applications is Layar, which combines a database of notable locations with the GPS receiver and camera of a device.<\/p>\n
The user then points the device’s camera in a direction and Layar overlays points of interest on the image of the “real world” on the screen. Hence the use of the term augmented, rather than alternate, reality.<\/p>\n
Although augmented reality has existed for some time now, it only recently began attracting the interest of a larger audience, especially as a way to present video games.<\/p>\n
Parrot’s AR Drone<\/a> is a type of augmented reality product that has received some attention<\/a> in the technology media. This is a game that runs as an application on the iPhone or iPad but which also requires a remote-controlled helicopter drone to play.<\/p>\n Nintendo’s entry into the augmented reality space with the 3DS mobile gaming platform and its AR video games is also said to have brought the technology more mass-market appeal.<\/p>\n A more practical application of augmented reality by the Miami University Augmented Reality Research Group<\/a> (MU ARRG) was recently showcased on ReadWriteWeb<\/a> after it made it to the front page of Reddit<\/a>.<\/p>\n Their BookTag shelf reading application is aimed at libraries to help keep bookshelves properly organised and keep track of book inventory. The application is able to identify whether books are in their correct place on the shelf so long as they are fitted with tags that the application can read.<\/p>\n Qualcomm’s play for the budding AR market is a set of development tools for Android aimed at simplifying the development of such applications for Google’s mobile operating system.<\/p>\n Many of Qualcomm’s example augmented reality applications are also video games, such as the Rock ‘Em and Sock ‘Em robot boxing game they built for Mattel.<\/p>\n Rock ‘Em and Sock ‘Em allows two players to link their Android smartphones via Bluetooth and duke it out with robot avatars. The environments in which the robots fight change depending on the special image the cameras of the Android devices are pointed at.<\/p>\n These images, which can be quite large and are specifically designed for the game, define the area in which the robot battle goes down.<\/p>\n Qualcomm’s interest in augmented reality doesn’t extend only to gaming. The company also recently showed off proof-of-concept application that can share images with digital picture frames<\/a> where the target frame is selected through augmented reality.<\/p>\n According to the report by Netbooknews, the frames are actually standard LCD monitors connected to an ASUS Eee box PC, running a custom app written by Qualcomm for the concept demo.<\/p>\n While Qualcomm’s proof of concept may be far from becoming an actual AR application, by their own admission they aren’t trying to produce apps themselves but rather show what can be done with augmented reality technology.<\/p>\n With the technology becoming more main stream and new application concepts beginning to surface it will be interesting to see what the future holds for AR.<\/p>\n